Ambulatory insecticide distributor



y 16, 1939- J. P. FULLILOVE 2,158,115

AMBULATORY INSECT IC IDE DI STRIBUTOR Filed Jan. 24, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l y 1939- J. P. FULLIL OVE AMBULATORY INSECTIQIDE DISTRIBUTOR Filed Jan. 24, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 16, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

The present invention relates to ambulatory apparatus for treatment of plants growing in the field, and especially to apparatus for applying liquid insecticides to rows of growing plants.

More particularly, this invention is concerned With an improved vehicular type of apparatus in which a rotatable container is utilized to eiiective ly and economically apply liquid to the leaves of rows of plants. A liquid distributor of this general type, though not so economical or enicient, is disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,504,818, granted to me on August 12, 1924. Several very useful and desirable features of the patented device are carried forward into the new apparatus about to be described, my present improvements consisting chiefly in the provision of adjustments for the liquid containers and means for effectively controlling and regulating the flow of liquid from the containers. This invention also contemplates improved container mounting and driving arrangements.

The primary object of the present invention is to devise a simple and inexpensive liquid applicator embodying a mop of cloth fabric or the like having means for readily regulating the fiow of liquid through the mop. The applicator is designed especially for use in mopping the leaves of cotton plants but it is contemplated that some of the principles of its design may be utilized in applicators of general and varied uses.

It is a major object of my invention to construct ambulatory apparatus for plant treatment with means for quicldy and easily varying the elevation of the insecticide or liquid dispensing container to correspond with the height of the plants being treated. In this connection, it is also an object to devise an improved arrangement for simultaneously treating two rows of plants, with means for varying the horizontal distance between a pair of dispensing containers.

A further important object of this invention resides in the provision, in ambulatory apparatus of the general character disclosed in my aforementioned patent, of improved driving means for operating one or more rotary dispensers.

Other major objects of my invention are to devise new and improved vehicles for treatment of rows of plants, these objects covering both a special single row machine and a special multirow machine.

The foregoing and additional objects of the present invention will clearly appear from a study of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevational View of an improved single-row mopper constituting one embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a View in front elevation of the same mopping machine.

Figure 2a is an enlarged fragmentary view of one of the special axle spindles and associated parts utilized in said machine.

Figure 3 is a detail view of the drum and mop assembly of Figures 1 and 2, with the mop illustrated in longitudinal section, and with groove size exaggerated for clarity.

Figure 4 represents across section taken on the plane of line 4-4 in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a View in front elevation of another embodiment of my invention in the form of a two-row mopper, portions of the chains being broken away to reveal the sprockets associated ther with.

Figure 6 is a side elevational View of the machine of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a detail View of a modified form of drum which may be substituted for that seen in Figures l-6. 5

Figure 8 is a detail view of an elongated elastic cord for fastening a mop to the drum of Figure 7.

Figure 9 shows, in assembly, the drum of Figure 7, having a mop secured thereto by the cord 01' Figure 8.

Figure 10 represents an end elevational view of the assembly of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary section of the drum of Figure 7 slightly modified as to location of liquid discharge ports.

With continued reference to the drawings, wherein like characters are employed to designate like parts, and with particular reference for the moment to Figures 1 and 2, the single-row machine of these views preferably is of push-cart design and consists essentially of a pair of handles i2 formed on the rear ends of a pair of beams or side frame members I 3 which are supported by a pair of ground-engaging wheels M; a drum-like liquid applicator !5 which is rotated by frictional engagement with said wheels; and an adjustable framework it associated with said beams and said applicator to vary the elevation of the latter.

The beams and framework are illustrated as formed of wood, but thin metal bars may be substituted. The beams are maintained in spaced relation by cross members l1, and. at their lower ends have square holes for reception of the squared portions 18 (see Figure 2a) of a pair of one-piece spindles 28. These spindles are aligned to constitute the axle, each having a cylindrical portion 2! journaled in one of the hubs of the wheels Hi, and hence inoperation the row of plants is straddled by the machine, without any intermediate axle portion to engage and damage the plants.

The inner ends of the spindles 20 are squared at 22 to non-rotatably receive a pair of substantially semi-circular plates 23 which deflect the plant tops away from the wheel spokes and which also serve to shield the spindle bearings from the liquid discharged by the applicator I5. Each spindle portion 2! is of sufficient length to receive in addition to a wheel hub, the lower apertured end of an upright member 24 which constitutes part of the framework I6. All of these parts, through which the spindles pass, are held together by nut, washer and cotter key assemblies 25 on the spindle extremities.

The upper ends of the frame members 24 are longitudinally slotted, at 26, to receive the ends of a pair of round spindles 21 which either are individually secured to the ends of the rotary drum applicator or form integral extensions of a shaft which passes coaxially through said applicator. The slots are of such depth that they can never prevent driving engagement of the wheels Hi with the applicator. The drive preferably is purely frictional, the periphery of each wheel preferably being equipped with a rubber tire as shown, for contact under pressure with the cylindrical end surfaces of a metal drum 2%.

The drum and the members 24 are kept in properposition, with the drum riding on the upper parts of the wheels, by a pair of longitudinally arranged slats 3B which are intertied by a cross member 31. The lower ends of these slats have holes for reception of the ends of the drum spindles 21, and are connected to the lower ends of the beams is by tension springs 32, which serve to pull the said spindles downwardly in the slots 26 to insure a good frictional drive. The springs,

further serve to permit separation of the drum and the wheels in the event that foreign matter tends to jam or spread them apart. The outwardly projecting extremities of the spindles 21 may cooperate as shown to receive washers 33 held on by cotter keys to prevent lateral spreading of the lower ends of the slats.

The upper or rear ends of the slats are pivotally connected to the upper ends of a pair of vertical members 34 by bolts "55, the lower portions of said members being likewise pivotally connected to the beams l3 by bolts 35. The pairs of bolts are provided with wing nuts 3'! and 38 respectively for convenient manipulation by hand. Members 34 extend downwardly so that they engage the ground to serve as supporting stanchions when the handles l2 are released. They are interconnected by a cross brace Ail.

The uprights 24, the slats 3B, and the upper portions of the stanchions 3G constitute parts of the adjustable framework it, and form with the forward portions of the beams l3 a parallelogram which is adjustable simply by loosening the wing nuts 3'! and 38 and pulling rearwardly on the cross member 3!. This will cause the parallelogram to collapse partially to any intended degree, and the drum 28 to ride rearwardly and downwardly over the rims of the wheels M to vary its elevation to the height desired. In case the relative diameters of the wheels and the drum are not such as will permit this movement without change in the length of the front end of the parallelogram, the slots 26 will permit the necessary change of length of said end. Upon tightening the wing nuts, the parallelogram again becomes rigid to maintain the selected drum elevation until further variation is desired.

Any suitable discharge arrangement for the drum 28 may be utilized, but I prefer to use the improvements illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4 and hereinafter described. These improvements likewise are preferably used on my multi-row mopping machine, and may be utilized on many other different combinations. The drum and its associated fluid dispensing parts may be constructed as follows, with reference particularly to Figures 3 and 4.

The drum 28, as illustrated, takes the form of a sealed container comprising a substantially cylindrical shell closed at its ends and having a sleeve 42 extending axially therethrough from end to end to receive a supporting shaft 43 of which the spindles 21 are integral parts. The drum may rotate on the shaft 43, or may fit tightly thereon to rotate therewith as a unit having bearings within the slats 353. A detachable filler cap 44 is provided for inserting a plant treating material such, for example, as a poisonous liquid solution. Rotation of the drum keeps the ingredients of the insecticide in agitation and thorough admixture.

The central or intermediate portion of the drumshell is corrugated to provide a series of annular ridges 45 spaced apart by annular grooves or depressions 46, the numbers and sizes of which may be varied when constructing the drums. Several of the grooves have one or more apertures 41 which form radial ports for discharging the liquid from the drum, and a mop is formed by wrapping a band 48 of cloth fabric or other suitable material several times around the corrugated portion of the drum to receive, absorb and distribute the liquid which flows from the apertures 41. The mop is held in place by a plurality of cords 50 which are tied around the fabric within a corresponding number of the annular grooves. The two end cords are tied tightly to prevent the escape of liquid axially of the shell surface, and the others may be tied with varying degrees of tightness to regulate and control the flow of liquid into and through the mop. Only the two end cords are essential, and as many further cords as there are additional grooves may be utilized. In like manner, there may be as many apertures or sets of apertures as there are grooves, and the apertures may be disposed either at the bottoms of the grooves, or, in the side walls thereof (see later discussion of Figure 11). To directly restrict the liquid discharge, cords may be passed around those grooves which are apertured, so that tightening of acord will tend to choke the aperture or set of apertures.

The specific illustrated arrangement and grouping of apertures and cords in Figures 2, 3, and 4 is quite desirable, the mop being tied at its ends and divided into three active parts by two additional cords which coact with non-apertured grooves. The three alternated pairs of ports 6'! therefore discharge freely, and the discharged liquid runs around the apertured grooves for uniform distribution into the surrounding three fabric portions. Obviously, the division may be into two or four or more parts.

The cords may be formed of elastic bands each having complmental hooks or fasteners at its ends, to facilitate their application to the drum; and a series of fasteners may be provided at one end of each band of this type to afford varying degrees of tightness when applied.

In operation, the drum assembly I5 is rotated backwardly by the wheels l4 so that, when properly positioned, and adjusted for elevation in the manner heretofore explained, its mopping surface wipes the undersides of the plant leaves and their upper stems, and in so doing it thoroughly and uniformly applies a thin film of liquid insecticide to them. The rate of liquid flow, and therefore the quantity applied to the plants, may be regulated and controlled in the manner just pointed out, and there is no waste incurred either by sprinkling liquid on the ground or by flowing excess quantities onto the plants.

The one-row mopping machine just described can readily be pushed by hand. For the farmer, large or small, who has tractive power for pulling his machinery I have created the multi-row mopper disclosed in Figures 5 and 6. Except for drum duplication, and the provision of special driving mechanisms and adjustments necessary for properly operating a plurality of drums, this form does not differ in general principle from the single-row mopper. It is constructed as follows:

Two wheels 52, which of course must be spaced apart a distance less than that between plant rows, are secured to opposite ends of an axle 53 to rotate therewith. Each axle end carries a substantially triangular rigid frame comprising a horizontal member 5 3, an inclined member 55, and an arcuate or segment shaped member 56, which is connected vertically between the rear ends of members 54 and 55. The forward ends of the members 54 are interconnected by a cross-piece 57 which carries further structure 58 to which is connected a coupler 60 for a whippletree 6|. The rear ends of said members 54 are interconnected by a cross-piece 52 which supports and stabilizes the framework by attachment to a leg 63 having a ground-engaging skid device 54. If desired, said device 54 may be eliminated and the machine may then be utilized either as a cultivator, or as a poison distributor, or both. The upper ends of the segments 56 are interconnected by a cross member 59.

The rear face of each segment member 56 has a curved metal plate 65 securely fitted thereto which has its center in a transverse shaft 55. The latter is journaled in the forward ends of members 55, and its lateral extremities serve as pivots for a pair of rearwardly extending arms 61 which project past the plate 55 to carry supporting bearings 68 for an elongated transverse shaft "H3. The latter serves to support and drive a pair of drum applicators H in a manner later set forth. A handle 12 is secured to each arm 5'? to extend rearwardly of the drums for convenient control of the machine and of the drum height.

Each handle carries, on a pivot at 13. a lever I4 which may be gripped or squeezed to swing it upwardly against the resistance of a conventional spring 15. Between its ends each lever pivotally receives one end of a link 16 which at its other end is pivotally connected at 77 to one end of a reciprocating rod 18. lhe rod is slidably held by guides 88 and 8! and its lower end projects into any one of a series of vertically aligned holes 82 in the corresponding arcuate plate 65. Hence, by gripping the levers M to Withdraw both rods from their receiving holes, the handles 12 together with the arms 67 may be swung either up or down about the axis of shaft 66 to vary the drum elevation, and thereafter this elevation may be maintained by permitting the two rods to enter another pair of holes which correspond with such elevation.

In order to permit the adjustment just mentioned, and to cause a reverse or backward rotation of the shaft 10 with respect to the wheels 52, a special driving arrangement is provided, as follows:

The wheel shaft 53 carries and drives a sprocket wheel 33 which, through a chain 84, drives a sprocket wheel 35, which is secured to a countershaft 36. The latter is journaled at its ends on the stationary inclined members 55 and securely carries a gear 8'! which meshes with a gear 88 on the shaft 55 to drive the latter backwardly in response to forward rotation of the vehicle wheels 52. This shaft 66 also carries a sprocket wheel fill, which through a slack chain 5! drives a further sprocket wheel 92 secured on the drum shaft 18. The amount of slack in this chain is suficient to permit vertical drum adjustment without causing the chain to interfere with other parts, and the slack is constantly taken up by a tension device 93 which is mounted on one of the arms 67 and bears against the chain.

The drum applicators II are adjustably carried by and driven by the shaft 10, as follows:

Each drum element 94 comprises a shell that is corrugated and properly perforated and surrounded by a mop cloth @8, which is fastened on by cords 50, as previously disclosed in detail. It is closed at its ends by a pair of plates 95, 96,

the latter of which has an internally threaded;

boss 9? and the former of which has a central aperture. A pipe 93 has an intermediate threaded portion which screws tightly into the boss 91, and an end portion which extends through the central aperture of plate :95 to receive a gasket Hill and a nut 10!. When assembled, with nut till tight, the drum is sealed at its ends.

The internal diameter of each pipe 98 is slightly larger than the diameter of shaft 10, so that the drum can he slid longitudinally of the shaft to bring their mops directly in line with the two rows of plants being treated. In the illustration the adjustment is such that the drums are close together with capacity for considerable separation. Any selected position of adjustment is maintained and a driving relationship established, by set screws Hi2 which project through the inner ends of the pipes 93 into longitudinal surface channels or keyways 483 on the shaft 10.

In the e the mopping drums are adjustable both vertically and laterally, and are rotated backwardly to supply a regulated and controlled flow of liquid to several rows of plants simultaneously.

In Figures '7 to 19 there is illustrated a modilied form of applicator in which the plurality of simple annular corrugations and grooves is replaced on a drum shell 5 M by a helical formation comprising a single spirally wound ridge E65 and a single continuous groove or depression I08. This effect can best be obtained by winding a strip of material, susbtantially triangular in crosssection, around the drum shell in the manner of screw thread of definite pitch. Perforations lfil' form outflow ports and preferably are arranged in spaced intervals along the groove in a spiral series which travels around the drum only once, thus affording uniformly distributed discharge points over the shell area.

A mop i 08, which may be like those previously described, is held in place on the shell by an elongatedelastic cord N0, of soft rubber or the like, which is wound into the groove to pass through the ridges spirally from end to end.

Each end of the cord carries a loop I I I which may be anchored on a pin I I2 which is secured to the shell. Preferably, a plurality of pins is provided (at least at one end of the shell), so that the elastic cord may be stretched to different degrees to vary its tension and thus regulate the flow of liquid into and through the mop. The pins preferably are disposed at the ends of the helical groove to form, in effect, continuations thereof so that the cord can be effectively and easily fastened in position.

In Figure 11 I have shown, in fragmentary detail, the manner in which liquid can be discharged somewhat laterally into a groove instead of directly radially thereinto. The shell I04 has a strip II3 wound or formed thereon to produce a groove I Id into which fluid may be discharged by way of a port I I5 cut through both the strip and the shell. An advantage of this is that the cord can not be so tightly drawn as to completely choke the port, and yet regulates the flow under varying degrees of tension. This arrangement is especially suitable for the modified applicator of Figures '710, but may also be used on the simple corrugations of the preferred form, first described, in which event a cord may be applied to each and every groove regardless of whether or not ported and without regard to the possibility of choking a ported groove.

Various other changes obviously may be made within the scope of the present invention, without departing from the spirit thereof, and therefore I wish to be limited, as is customary only by such restrictions as are necessarily present in the appended claims to distinguish over the prior art.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, an ambulatory carriage; a drum rotatably mounted on said carriage, said drum having a corrugated portion between its ends providing alternating ridges and depressions, and having apertures between certain of said ridges; a mop surrounding said corrugated portion; fastening means encompassing the edges of the mop; and one or more further fastening means encompassing an intermediate portion of the mop.

2. In combination with a carriage, a rotatable applicator of the character described comprising a drum having a helical formation on its periphery providing a spiraling ridge and a spiraling groove, and having a plurality of ports opening from the drum interior into said formation at points located radially inward from the outermost part of the ridge, a mop surrounding said helical formation, and an elongated mop-fastening element wound around the mop and within the groove from end to end of the latter.

3. In the apparatus defined in claim 2, said elongated element being elastic, and said drum carrying spaced elements adjacent at least one end of the groove to provide variable anchorage for the corresponding end of the elastic element.

4. In combination with an ambulatory carriage, a container mounted on the carriage and having at least one pair of external ridges separated by a ported groove, a mop covering said groove to receive material discharged from the container, and means for securing the mop in its groove-covering position.

5. An ambulatory vehicle of the character described, comprising a framework; at least one wheel supporting said framework; a container in the form of a drum carried by said framework and having a cylindrical surface portion in frictional drive engagement with the periphery of said wheel; and means for discharging the contents of said drum.

6. In the combination defined in claim 5, means for adjusting said drum to various angular positions around the upper portion of said wheel while maintaining said drive engagement.

7. In a vehicle of the class described, for treatment of rows of field plants that may vary in height, a multisided framework arranged in a vertical plane and having corners embodying pivotal interconnections to permit variations in shape thereof, and means for holding said framework in any selected shape; at least one wheel supporting said framework; and a dispensing container mounted on a shiftable part of said framework to partake of vertical adjustment in response to changes in shape of the framework, said container embodying means for discharging its contents onto the rows of plants traversed by the vehicle.

8. In a vehicle defined in claim I, said framework comprising a parallelogram structure having one corner mounted adjacent the wheel axis, with one side which forms said corner extend ing generally upwardly and having a slot in its upwardly extending end; said container comprising a drum in peripheral driving engagement with said wheel and provided with an axial spindle, said spindle projecting into said slot and also extending into one end of an adjacent side of the parallelogram structure; and yielding means constantly urging said spindle downwardly in said slot.

9. An ambulatory apparatus for treatment of rows of field plants, comprising a pair of axially spaced and aligned wheels having individual short spindles; a framework supported by said spindles; and a container in the form of a drum rotatably mounted transversely on said framework with its ends peripherally engaging said wheels; whereby said drum will straddle a row of plants when the wheels roll along opposite sides of the row.

10. An ambulatory mopper for plant row treatment, comprising a set of wheels; a framework supported by said wheels; a pair of handles having pivots forwardly of said framework and extending rearwardly; at least one discharge container carried rearwardly on said handles; and complemental means on at least one of said handles and said framework to latch the handles in anyone of a plurality of positions to which said handles may be swung about said forwardly disposed pivots.

11. In the apparatus defined in claim 10, said framework having a segmental rear side of arouate curvature; and said complemental means comprising a series of notches in said rear side, and a retractible plunger designed for reception in any one of said notches.

JACK P. FULLILOVE. 

